Did a call from the Kremlin to Washington help Russia in the Ukraine war?

According to reports, Moscow allegedly requested Washington to intervene and persuade Kyiv not to conduct an operation against Russia during its Navy Day celebrations. What do we know about this concerning situation?

According to a report from Interfax Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov revealed on state television that Defense Minister Andrey Belousov called his counterpart Lloyd Austin in Washington to discuss an issue that could have escalated the war. 

Militarnyi reported that Belousov and Austin allegedly discussed the ways an escalation in the conflict could be avoided, and Ryabkov indicated that the phone call had a positive result for Moscow.

Ryabkov said, “the signal from our military leadership and the Minister of Defense to our American counterpart must have had an impact.” But what was the issue that Belousov and Austin discussed?

The original statement from Ryabkov published by Interfax Russia did not provide any details on the issue that was discussed between Belousov and Austin, but other news sources claimed that Russia believed Ukraine was planning a major attack. 

“Russian television said that the details were a state secret and provided no further details. Ukraine's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report,” Reuters noted in its report on the news story. 

According to Ukrainska Pravda, Russian sources claimed Ukraine planned to attack the July 28th Russian Navy Day celebrations in St. Petersberg, an occasion that saw Vladimir Putin and Belousov address a group of sailors. 

Ryabkov said that Austin was surprised by what he and Belousov spoke about and took it seriously according to several news sources. Militarnyi reported that Washington contacted Kyiv following Austin’s call with Belousov and asked that Ukraine not carry out its alleged operation. 

On July 26th, the New York Times reported on an unusual call that Belousov made to Austin on July 12th, during which the Russian Defense Minister informed the Defense Secretary about an alleged Ukrainian operation. 

What was revealed during the call is unknown but the New York Times Erik Schmitt reported, “it was taken seriously enough that the Americans contacted the Ukrainians and said, essentially, if you’re thinking about doing something like this, don’t.”

Whether or not the call was about a plot to attack Russia during Navy Day is unknown, but following the call, both Washington and Moscow acknowledged the call happened and emphasized the importance of keeping the lines of communication open. 

“During the call, the secretary emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh explained to reporters on July 12th.

A Russian Defense Ministry statement about the July 12th call confirmed it occurred as well, and noted Belousov initiated the phone call and brought up “the issue of preventing security threats and reducing the risk of possible escalation was discussed.”

The statement added that Austin and Belousov “exchanged views on the situation around Ukraine,” and that Belousov “pointed to the danger of further escalation of the situation in connection with the continued supply of American weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”

Whether or not the July 12th phone call Belousov made to Austin was about a possible attack on Russia’s July 28th Navy Day celebrations in St. Petersburg will likely never be known, but we do know Kyiv didn’t refrain from attacking parts of Russia on Navy Day. 

Militarnyi reported that Ukraine successfully attacked several targets inside of Russia on July 28th, including an oil depot in Kursk. Drones also reached and hit an oil refinery in Kstovo, a city in the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @kstovonew

Video footage from onlookers captured the attack on the oil refinery in Kstovo, which Militarnyi reported “is the largest production site in the city.” The refinery was previously attacked by drones back on March 12, 2024.

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Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @kstovonew